Council staff, councillors and members of the community met up at the Civic Offices to celebrate the multi-faith Iftar evening. 

The Iftar, also known as futoor (the Arabic word for breakfast), is the meal served at the end of the day during Ramadan, to break the day’s fast. 

The High Sherriff of Wiltshire, Mr Pradeep Bhardwaj, was joined by Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Mr Mohammed Ali, council leader, Councillor Jim Robbins, the Council’s Chief Executive, Sam Mowbray, and members of Swindon’s Muslim community at the inaugural event on Sunday.

Councillors Abdul Amin, Junab Ali and Jamal Miah joined other local restauranteurs in Swindon in donating the traditional breaking of the fast meal.

Councillor Jim Robbins, leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: “This was the very first time we organised a council-hosted Iftar event and it was fantastic to welcome people of all faiths to the Civic Offices yesterday evening.

“We are really proud to be an inclusive and diverse organisation and we wanted to show our support for our Muslim councillors, colleagues within the council and the wider community.

“It was an incredibly positive event and I would like to thank all the volunteers for making it such a special evening for everyone who attended.”